Melbourne Fringe: Homer’s Odyssey – A mini musical

Melb-Fringe-Homer’s-Odyssey-Loucas-Loizou-photo-by-Martin-NewlandAccording to the scribes, in ancient times you could hardly move for Gods, and men became heroes through dangerous, sexy adventures.

A prime example was Greek soldier and Trojan War veteran Odysseus, immortalised in Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey. These works provide the inspiration for Homer’s Odyssey – A mini musical.

Odysseus is now an old man, and we’re visiting him in his electric-light lit (what?) “courtyard” (that looks like an underground cellar – again, what?) to hear of his youthful exploits.

Our performer is Loucas Loizou, who would provide snippets of tales interspersed with songs, some of his own writing, with acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Fairly quickly, an appealing idea shows limitations in execution. Rather than stories building to a climax, often they meander.

Songs here could substantially repeat either the spoken word lead-in or themselves, rather than advancing the action.

This made the pacing slower than is ideal for a tale of monsters and trials. There were also some gaps you could roll a Trojan horse through, creating distractions for the listener.

However, Loizou acquitted himself well on acoustic guitar. If you’re too busy with post-second-wave life to read Homer for yourself, at least this 60-minute show will give a “whistle stop tour” of his main characters and relationships.


Homer’s Odyssey – A mini musical
Melbourne Fringe Digital Program
Performance: Monday 16 November 2020
Season continues to 29 November 2020
Information and Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au

Image: Loucas Loizou in Homer’s Odyssey – photo by Martin Newland

Review: Jason Whyte